


The Stars Look Bright Tonight

by missthingsplace



Category: Torchwood/Partholon
Genre: Centaurs, Fantasy, M/M, One Shot, Ratings: PG
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-08
Updated: 2014-02-08
Packaged: 2018-01-11 14:53:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1174403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missthingsplace/pseuds/missthingsplace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Jack becomes suspicious of Ianto's comings and goings he has no idea what it will reveal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Stars Look Bright Tonight

 

 

**Title:** The Stars Look Bright Tonight  
 **Fandom:**  Torchwood/Partholon ***  
** **Author** **:** [](http://missthingsplace.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://missthingsplace.livejournal.com/)**missthingsplace**  
 **Parings/characters:** Jack/Ianto, Owen, Toshiko  
 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Torchwood or any of the characters ... unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Or situations/ideas created by P. C. Cast.  
 **Summary:** When Jack becomes suspicious of Ianto's comings and goings he has no idea what it will reveal.  
 **Warnings:** Fantasy crossover  
 **Spoilers:** Anything is fair game   
**Rating:** PG  
  
 ***A/N:** This fic was inspired by a series of books i am reading, starting with Divine By Mistake by P. C. Cast. You don't nned to have read the books to read this fic.

“Ianto, have you got a minute?” Jack called down to his office as the young man walked past.

“Certainly Sir,” Ianto answered with a small nod of his head, changed direction and headed up the stairs to the Captains office and closed the door behind him.

“Something I can do for you Sir?” Ianto asked, standing opposite where Jack sat behind his desk.

“I just wondered if everything was okay?” Jack asked, showing obvious concern. “You seen rather preoccupied these past few days and you seem to keep vanishing.”

“Vanishing?” Ianto asked, avoiding the original question.

“I went looking for you in the archives a short while ago and you were nowhere to be found,” Jack replied. “and it's not the first time. Is there something you wish to tell me?”

“Nope, I don't think so Sir,” Ianto answered.

With that the lights in the office, the whole Hub began to flicker which lasted no more than thirty seconds and then came back on as normal again.

“That's been happening a let these past few days too,” Jack stated, getting to his feet.

“Probably just a glitch in the system Sir,” Ianto replied quickly. “I can do down and check the connections before we delve deeper?”

“Sure,” Jack nodded, wondering why the younger man seemed so hasty in his reply.

“I'll get right on it then Sir,” Ianto nodded, turned to open the door and left the room.

Jack watched him run down the stairs, a frown on his face and deep in thought.

~*~*~*~

Ianto sprinted down to the lower levels of the Hub, stopped in front of a large metal door only to slide the bolt across to open it and then rushed into the room with a worried look upon his face.

“Lisa?” He asked, rushing around looking at the monitors that now all showed normal readings.

“I'm okay Ianto,” a voice came back softly, laboured.

“No, you're not,” Ianto sighed, sitting down on the edge of the huge bed that he thought resembled a fluffy marshmallow and took her hand in his.

“I'm dying Ianto, I'm okay with it, it's my time,” Lisa said, panting gently with the effort.

“No, I won't let you leave me,” Ianto told her firmly. “I will find a way to keep you here with me, we have to survive, both of us.”

“There are other's Ianto,” she sighed, squeezing his hand.

“But so few,” Ianto said sadly. “and not here.”

“Enough,” she told him firmly. “when you get home.”

“If. And it doesn't mean I will let you go without a fight,” Ianto said, getting up and releasing her hand to check the machines that surrounded her again. “the lights flickered upstairs, you had another … episode.”

“My heart is weak,” Lisa said. “the machine did it's job and jolted me back to life.”

“I will find something that helps,” Ianto said, moving to her side again. “do you need anything?”

“Something to drink, water, would be good,” she smiled.

“I'll be back in a few minutes,” Ianto said, giving her a soft kiss on the forehead before heading off to fulfil her wish.

~*~*~*~

“Jack, I have something you need to see,” Owen called up from the medical bay the next morning.

“On my way,” the Captain answered, jogging down the steps to where the medic stood by one of the cabinets that contained controlled drugs.

“First I need to tell you that for the last couple of weeks I have suspected that some of the supplies have gone walkabout,” Owen informed him. “but the numbers were so small they could have been overlooked as mistakes when stocktaking.”

“But now more have gone missing?” Jack asked concerned.

“Yeah, at least three boxes of morphine vials are missing as of yesterday,” Owen replied, turning on the laptop to a feed from the CCTV. “along with various antibiotics, but that's not the worst thing.”

Jack watched the blurry black and white video, a gasp of surprise coming from his lips at the sight of Ianto appearing down in the medical bay. He watched the young man open the lock of the cabinet with his own key, take the missing medicine and then lock up again before leaving and vanishing out of sight.

“Where does he go, after this?” Jack demanded.

“The CCTV shows him heading down into the archives but then it loses track of him until he reappears later empty handed,” Toshiko put it from above. “he must be going down to levels lower than the CCTV reaches.”

“But why?” Jack asked, obviously angry and confused. “Is he stockpiling it to sell? Is he addicted to the morphine? And if so, why the antibiotics?”

“I have no bloody idea,” Owen shrugged.

“He better have a bloody good reason,” Jack huffed, running back up the steps to the main up and across to the entrance to the archives. “a damn good bloody reason.”

*~*~*~*

“Ianto, where are you?”

Ianto jumped at the sound of the Captains voice, loud and very obviously angry sounding.

“Sir,” Ianto replied calmly, stepping into view.

“I want answers Ianto and I want them now!” Jack demanded.

“About Sir?” Ianto dead-panned.

“Don't go playing coy with me,” Jack spat. “we have the CCTV evidence of you stealing drugs from the medical bay, what I want to know is why?”

“I'm addicted,” Ianto told him simply. “I can't help myself.”

“Don't lie to me Ianto,” Jack snarled. “I know an addict when I see one and you are not an addict.”

Ianto shrugged.

Jack grabbed the younger man by the lapels of his suit and pushed him forcefully against the hard brick wall of the archives.

“I trusted you Ianto, I let you in here and gave you a job,” Jack snapped.

“Only so you could flirt with me, get me into your bed,” Ianto smirked.

“That was not the reason,” Jack snarled again. “now tell me what's going on before I retcon you back to infant hood and put an end to it that way.”

Ianto looked him straight in the eye, lasting barely thirty seconds before a tear slid down his face.

“She's dying,” Ianto said quietly. “she's dying and no matter what I do I can't save her.”

“Who's dying? What are you talking about? Is it your mother? I thought ...” Jack didn't get any further before Ianto cut him off.

“Lisa, my Lisa is dying,” Ianto said. “she was meant to be mine, we were promised to each other.”

“An arranged marriage?” Jack asked, still holding tightly onto Ianto's suit lapels and becoming more and more confused.

“Not exactly,” Ianto explained. “we were destined to be together and now … this is so wrong.”

“She's here? In the Hub?” Jack asked and Ianto nodded.

“Take me to her,” Jack demanded, releasing the young man and stepping aside.

*~*~*~*

Ianto pulled back the bolt, took a deep breath and while realising that his secret was about to be out he pushed open the door and followed Jack inside.

“Is this what's been causing the power problems?” Jack asked, indicating the machines before gazing at the huge bed in the centre of the room.

“Yep, it's set to give her a jolt if her heart fails,” Ianto admitted.

“I have a name,” a weak voice came from the bed.

“Lisa,” Ianto said, rushing to her side while Jack looked on.

“Is there someone else in this bed?” Jack frown, confused by the sight of the dark woman's slim shoulders and head peaking out the top of the covers but the big mass under them.

“No, just me,” Lisa said with a small, pained smile. “you better let him in on the secret Ianto, my love.”

“Jack … where to start ...” Ianto began, pausing to press a tender kiss to the woman's lips before continuing. “Lisa and I, we are not human, but we are not alien either.”

“Then what?” The Captain asked, more intrigued that angry now.

“The rift doesn't only pluck things, beings from time and space, Lisa and I are from a parallel world,” Ianto continued. “there are many more of our kind,but we are the only two here that we know of and baring finding the right kind of magic we, I will be stuck here..”

“Magic?” Jack asked, seemingly unsurprised.

“The magic that exists all around us, unharnessed by most,” Ianto agreed. “we have lived in this world for longer than you could imagine, people only believe us a myth and we wish to keep it that way.”

“A myth? What are you?” Jack asked.

“We are Centaurs,” Ianto told him, then turned to Lisa and asked. “May I?”

“Centaurs?” Jack breathed the question out as a whisper.

“Yes, let him see,” Lisa said, coughing softly as she did so.

Ianto got to his feet and carefully pulled back the covers so Jack could see her fully, his eyes widening at the sight of the beautiful creature beneath. Her black hair tumbled down her neck and back in soft waves, her skin the colour of rich coffee on her arms and chest until it met the rest of her body, that resembled a beautiful ebony mare.

“You're beautiful,” Jack told her.

“Thank you,” she whispered and closed her eyes as Ianto replaced the covers.

“But Ianto, you said that you are both Centaurs, you look very much human to me?” Jack asked.

“I can shift my form,” Ianto explained. “I too am a High Chieftain and Shaman, I can become anything I wish for a short while, at a price.”

“How short?” Jack asked him.

“A few hours, six or seven easily then it becomes harder,” Ianto told him.

“That would explain all the times you vanish,” Jack said thoughtfully. “and the price?”

“The pain it takes to shift, I am weak in my natural form for a while after I shift back,” Ianto replied.

“This parallel word, it has a name?” The Captain asked curiously.

“Partholon,” Ianto answered.

“This world, is it at all like this one?” Jack asked.

“No,” Ianto smiled. “it's a simpler time. There is no cars, television, computers … no technology at all.”

“But there is magic?” Jack continued to question.

“Not for everyone, only the Chosen, but yes,” Ianto answered.

“Good and bad?” Jack asked.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Ianto replied, frowning at the thought.

“Are there humans?” Jack asked.

“Yes, we long along side each other and it is not unknown for us to even marry humans when we are Shaman's.” Ianto told him. “We only mate in our human form and our children are born human.”

“Lisa, what is wrong with her?” Jack said, motioning to the now sleeping Centaur.

“Coming through the rift weakened her we think, we have been here many years but when we got here ...” Ianto paused for a moment. “it was obvious that she had been harmed. Her heart, it couldn't take the strain and she has weakened, albeit very slowly over the years.”

“I should get Owen, perhaps he could help?” Jack suggested. “A heart transplant?”

“No, she doesn't wish to be subjected to this worlds ways,” Ianto told him sadly. “she says it is Epona's will that she pass on.”

“Epona?” Jack asked.

“She is our Goddess,” Ianto told him.

Jack nodded thoughtfully. “If you were still in Partholon would Epona heal her?”

“Nope, but she would comfort her through her pain,” Ianto sighed. “but I can do my best for her.”

“Because you are a Shaman?” Jack asked.

“Yes, I can guide her to the other side – to Epona's meadows – hopefully to where she should be if we were home,” Ianto replied.

“Is there anything I can do?” Jack asked.

“No,” Ianto told him simply, turning to look at his sleeping mate.

“Do you need to return to your natural form for this?” Jack asked and Ianto nodded. “I can leave if you wish?”

“I do. Jack, do you want to see me in my natural form?” Ianto asked, slipping off his shoes, followed by his suit trousers. “I can do that.”

Ianto removed all of his lower garments, his suit jacket and loosened his tie.

“There will be a bright light and you will hear me scream in pain but no matter what you do don't interrupt,” Ianto insisted, well aware that his modesty was only barely covered by his shirt tails.

Jack nodded.

Ianto closed his eyes and began chanting in a language that Jack had never heard before, it seemed to be a mix of something that resembled Welsh and something much, much older. Ancient. Jack could feel the power in the room intensifying, the light, an icy blue in colour, growing brighter and brighter until he could keep his eyes open no longer. He squeezed them tightly shut to block it out, then following a long, loud, agonizing scream of pain the light faded again.

Jack opened his eyes and gazed in unconcealed amazement at the Centaur before him. What he could see of his body was pale and creamy coloured, his hair now tumbled down his neck in soft brown curls and the 'horse' part of his body was a gleaming chestnut colour.

“You're … beautiful,” Jack said again, this time with a small stutter.

Ianto laughed lightly, pulling off his tie and unbuttoning his shirt to discard it. “I've never been described as beautiful before.”

Jack couldn't help but stare at the Centaur body, the curls of hair on his chest that covered the pale skin and highlighted the toned muscles of his body.

“There is no other way to describe you,” Jack said.

“Ianto,” Lisa said, waking with a gasp. “It's time … I don't want the machine to bring be back again.”

“But I'm not ready to lose you yet,” Ianto told her, settling down carefully beside her, arranging his legs on the floor..

“I'm so tired,” she sighed. “so very tired.”

Jack crept silently from the room and closed the door behind him.

*~*~*~*

Ianto took Lisa's hand in his own once more.

“Are you completely sure my love?” He asked, feeling his emotions bubbling up and a tear fall slowly down his cheek.

“Epona is calling me to her meadows,” Lisa replied in a whisper, her breathing laboured.

“Then I will honour your wishes,” Ianto said sadly, kissing the back of her hand before releasing it and moving to turn off the machines that surrounded her except for the one that monitored her heart rate.

Ianto settled down again next to his mate and kissed her lips softly, pulling her upper body gently into his arms and held her, kissing the top of her head and whispering to her until long after she stopped breathing and he could no longer feel her heart beating, letting her slip away quietly and knowing she was loved.

Weakened by his own transformation Ianto stayed with her, not wanting to leave her so soon taking the time to recover himself before tending to her body as best he could on his own, knowing that he would need Jack's help for the final part of the ceremony, her funeral pyre.

*~*~*~*

“Sir?” Ianto said, hovering at the doorway to the Captains office.

“Ianto?” Jack asked gently, getting to his feet as the younger man entered in his human form.

“Some hours ago Sir, I have been attending to her needs but …,” Ianto replied, tears falling relentlessly down his face. “but I need to ask you, would you help me with her last journey to Epona's meadows?”

“Anything, just tell me what you need?” Jack answered.

“A funeral pyre,” Ianto answered. “I know it's not an easy request but ...”

“It will be done,” Jack said, cutting him off and pulling him into his arms to hug him tight.

“I'm sorry Sir, I should have told you about Lisa before today,” Ianto said into the Captains shoulder. “I misled you.”

“Completely misled me?” Jack had to ask.

“No, not completely, but ...” Ianto trailed off, sobbing once more.

“It's okay Ianto, I understand,” Jack said gently, a little relieved that the affection the young man – Centaur – had shown him hadn't been completely fabricated.

“Thank you,” Ianto managed to huff out, letting the older man comfort him.

*~*~*~*

Jack stood silently by while Ianto recited the required words as the funeral pyre containing Lisa's body burned in the same Welsh/Ancient language mix he had used to transform. They were in a very remote part of Wales where Ianto could take his natural form and Jack had used his connections in advance to stop the emergency services coming to the scene.

When it was over they buried the ashes under one of the oldest trees they could find, Ianto changed back into his human form and they climbed into the cab of the van they had used to transport Lisa's body to the location and headed back to Cardiff.

“This changes nothing,” Jack said, breaking the silence halfway back.

“What … what about … us?” Ianto asked hesitantly. “I mean, I …”

“You need to grieve Ianto, then we'll see what happens?” Jack replied as a question. “I want you to take some time off, I will tell the others you are sick, the flu.”

“Thank you, for everything, Sir,” Ianto answered, meaning every word.

Silence fell over the cab again as Jack let Ianto lose himself in his thoughts and pondered on just how strange his life was becoming, even more so than usual.

The End.

 

 

 


End file.
